Britain; Its Earliest History And Connection With Other Nations

Paperback | January 3, 2012

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1851. Excerpt: ... well settled, and even then the trade by sea round through the Straits of Gibraltar might not have been wholly discontinued, the great impediment to this last route by sea being the usually and well known boisterous state of the Bay of Biscay. Besides in confirmation of my view of Lugdunum being the more correct way of writing Londinium, Caesar, de bello Gallico, 1. 5, c. 22, mentions a certain Lugotorix, whom, whatever his other name may have been, I take to be the king or chief man of London. It may be objected to my supposition of a trade up the Rhine that the difficulties of overcoming the strength of the downward current would have been insurmountable in those days, but when we consider that in our own warfare of late, our soldiers have tracked their boats with provisions, ammunition and other stores up the rivers of the East, although there was no towing path, I do not think the objection a serious one. The Welsh are inclined to think London means the town of Llyn, or the lake, as the broad expanse of the Thames might well be called, and the Scotch use the word loch not only for a fresh but also for a salt water lake ; but I merely mention this last derivation to show the diversity of opinion that exists on these poinls, not that I agree with them. To the next point the author turns with no little pride, for long as the precise etymology of the word Thames has baffled the researches of, as he believes, every antiquarian, he flatters himself he has set the matter finally at rest by making it out to be the pure Greek potamos, contracted p'tamos, and meaning simply the river, as from its size and navigable qualities it may well be termed par excellence of Britain. To the same source he refers the names Tamar, Tay, Tivy, Tanais the modern Don, each, of course, with some slight var...

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Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1851. Excerpt: ... well settled, and even then the trade by sea round through the Straits of Gibraltar might not have been wholly discontinued, the great impediment to this ...